Pinkies up for brain health!<\/p>\n
A TikTok demonstrating \u201cpinky time\u201d<\/a> has gone viral with the promise that this simple daily digit exercise can stave off cognitive decline.<\/p>\n In the clip, creator Daniela Paez-Pumar <\/a>films herself and friends as they wrap their middle and pointer fingers together, touch their ring fingers to their thumbs and move their pinkies up and down for several seconds.<\/p>\n Daniela Paez-Pumar shared that she observes \u201cpinky time\u201d every night at 7:45 p.m. TikTok\/dpaezpumar<\/p>\n Paez-Pumar shared that she observes \u201cpinky time\u201d every night at 7:45 p.m.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one is exempt from pinky time \u2014 we keep that brain HEALTHY,\u201d she wrote in the caption. <\/p>\n As the caption indicates, \u201cpinky time\u201d is thought to slow cognitive decline, and experts are cosigning the craze.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you pause, concentrate and try a new movement that your body isn\u2019t used to, like wiggling your pinky, it lights up your motor cortex, cerebellum and other areas of your noggin,\u201d Dr. Kelly Gonderman<\/a>, a licensed clinical psychologist, told Bustle<\/a>.<\/p>\n She notes that pinky time falls into the category of fine motor tasks, one that requires coordination between muscles and joints and becomes more challenging with age-related mental decline.<\/p>\n \u201cThat cross-hemisphere coordination is genuinely good for the brain,\u201d said Gonderman. <\/p>\n Other content creators maintain that pinky time is not only a means to prevent cognitive decline but diagnose it as well. pkanchana \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n While pinky-wiggling alone is unlikely to prevent cognitive decline, it belongs to a broader set of behaviors that can keep the mind sharp.<\/p>\n \u201cTen seconds of finger movement a day isn\u2019t going to prevent Alzheimer\u2019s on its own, but activities that challenge the brain through novelty and coordination are worth doing regularly,\u201d she told Bustle.<\/p>\n Other content creators maintain that pinky time is not only a means <\/a>of preventing cognitive decline but also of\u00a0<\/a>diagnosing it. Essentially, if you can do the movement with ease, your cognition is top-tier, and if you struggle with the digit dance, your brain is in danger. <\/p>\n Gonderman says not so much. <\/p>\n \u201cThe idea that struggling with it signals poor brain health is where I\u2019d pump the brakes,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cDifficulty with a novel motor task can reflect lots of things: hand dominance, arthritis, practice, attention in that moment.\u201d<\/p>\n She underscores that making or struggling to make hand positions is not an effective diagnostic tool. <\/p>\n \u201cThe broader principle behind it \u2014 that fine motor activity, learning new physical skills and hand-brain\u00a0coordination exercises support cognitive health as we age<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 is supported by research,\u201d she told Bustle.<\/p>\n As Gonderman points out, many studies suggest that challenging the brain helps preserve and protect cognitive function.<\/p>\n And while pinky time is one such challenge, there are countless more. <\/p>\n If you want to up your circus game in the name of a better brain, juggling<\/a>\u00a0carries loads of\u00a0cognitive benefits<\/a>.<\/p>\n A\u00a02024 study<\/a>\u00a0found that juggling has \u201cpositive effects on cognitive abilities and postural stability in healthy, physically active older adults.\u201d<\/p>\n Experts say that whatever the activity, it should be complex enough that it requires a bit of effort, but not so difficult that you don\u2019t want to do it. jalisko \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Juggling has also been found to promote\u00a0neuroplasticity<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 the brain\u2019s remarkable ability to adapt to new stimuli \u2014 which may in turn help improve cognitive function.<\/p>\n Neurologists maintain that learning something new, be it juggling, a language or an instrument, can trigger the growth of new neural connections in the brain, keeping it young by activating different areas.<\/p>\n The more the mind is exercised, the more your brain pathways that you might not use as much are reinforced.<\/p>\n Experts say that whatever the activity, it should be complex enough to require a bit of effort, but not so difficult that you don\u2019t want to do it.<\/p>\n Across the country, about\u00a01 in 10 older adults<\/a>\u00a0is living with dementia, the most common form being\u00a0Alzheimer\u2019s disease<\/a>.<\/p>\n As the US population ages, those numbers are expected to soar.\u00a0Researchers estimate<\/a>\u00a0that 42% of Americans over 55 will eventually develop dementia, with women and black adults facing higher risks.<\/p>\n By 2060, cases nationwide are projected to double, with roughly 1 million new diagnoses each year.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t